FORD FIGO: A frugal genius car

The first thing about this car...you are going to absolutely love the way this car handles. It just darts the direction you point its nose towards. The steering is an electric assist power steering but it feels more like a hydraulic unit. Great feel and great feedback, not too light, nor excessively heavy. Once you are done admiring the amazing handling of this car, in this segment, its engine does not fall short of breath at any moment in the rev range. This 1.2 L petrol 4 cylinder DOHC engine churns out a healthy 87 bhp of power and it can be felt from as low as 1400 rmp all the way up to the red line. 112 Nm max. torque is good enough to let you enjoy a drive with fewer gear shifts. Coming to the 5-speed gearbox, it is a gem. Gears engage smoothly and with the slightest touch of a hand. The clutch as well is balanced very well and your left foot is not going to get tired even after a long crawl through heavy traffic.

As for features, this little car comes well packed at this price and that bang of a drive train you get. You get an inbuilt 2 din music system with 4 speakers which sound absolutely fabulous. It has a Bluetooth connectivity, USB compatibility, steering mounted control etc. and etc. on top of playing fm/am radio and mp3... of course. On the tech front, it has got two trip meters, displays average fuel consumption, distance to empty, door ajar warning, seat belt warning, low fuel warning and a little digital clock for you to check out the time. The tachometer is an analog one and trust me on this; nothing feels good as to see the revs go high on an analog unit of this rev indicator. The car gets electrically adjustable ORVM and power windows at both front and back. And yes, those cool looking ORVM mounted turn indicators are present. It has manual air conditioning which is good enough to chill you in peak summer.

On the space front, the car feels airy with the big glass areas and wide cabin. The fabric seats feel well cushioned and provide good support for the back and I am 5'11" and very comfortable even at the back of driver seat set at my height. There is plenty of room for your head and your legs to slide under the front seats. Three adults can snuggle up in the back seat even for long journeys. And the suspension is good enough for the passengers to enjoy a good long highway trip or at slow city traffic speeds, with little potholes and undulations on the road not having a chance to shake up this beautiful looking car with 'Aston martin's grill. The 257-liter boot space is enough to carry the luggage of 5 passengers on board although I felt the previous generation Figo had a bigger boot. The car has two airbags in the front for the safety of the passengers. Unfortunately, it does not have ABS, EBD or ESP. They are available in the titanium variant but not on this one.

At 5.34 lakhs (ex-showroom price) and with a mileage of 16kml (city) and 20kmpl (highway) which I am currently getting, this car is quite economical for the average middle-class Indian. The after sales service including maintenance is very good as well in most cities. Comes with a warranty of 2 years or 100000 kms. So, overall I would say if this car is on your list, don't think twice, just buy it, it is the best mix of comfort-handling, space-looks, economy-power small car-brand value that you get in the market.